Arm-chair and folding bed.



J. C. SMITH.

ARM CHAIR AND FOLDING BED. APPLICATION FILED MAR. s, 1909.

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WITNESSES ATTORNEYS J. U. SMITH. ARM CHAIR AND FOLDING BED. APPLICATION IiLED MAR. s, 1909.

942,594. Patented Dec. 7, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES ATTORNEYS till JOHN CALIX SMITH, OF MANCHESTER, NEVI HAMPSHIRE.

ARM-CHAIR AND FOLDING BED.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 2, 1909.

Application filed March 3, 1909. Serial No. 481,143.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that 1, JOHN C. SMrrH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of .danchester, in the county of Hillsboro and State of New Hampshire, have invented a new and Improved Arm-Chair and Folding Bed, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to furniture, and the object of the invention is to produce a chair which can be readily converted into a bedstead.

In constructing the chair, simplicity of construction and ease of operation have also been objects.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts to be more fully described hereinafter and particularly set forth in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying d nwings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate cor 'esponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective showing the article of furniture when set up as a chair; Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through the chair; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but representing the body of the chair as removed from the skeleton which is formed for it by the folding bedstead; Fig. 3 is a rear elevation showing a portion of the upper edge of the chair, and further illustrating the manner in which the body of the chair is attached to the skeleton or frame; Fig. 4c is a section taken at the back of the chair upon an enlarged scale, and illustrating the manner of securing the back cover or apron in position; Fig. 5 is a side elevation showing the article of furniture when extended and used as a bedstead; Fig. 6 is a plan of the same; Fig. 7 is a rear elevation of the chair when the parts are folded so as to form a skeleton or frame for the body of the chair; and Fig. 8 is a cross sec tion taken through the seat of the chair and through the arms.

Referring more particularly to the parts, and especially to Figs. 1 to 3, 1 represents the body of the chair which is in the form of a padded cushion, presenting a back cushion 2, a seat cushion 3, and side arms 4;. This body is mounted upon a seat frame 5 which is connected with a back frame 6. These frames 5 and 6 support springs 7 which give resiliency to the cushions. The seat frame 5 llS adapted to seat upon a leg frame 8 which may be of square form, as shown. This leg frame 8 supports the frame 5 and is provided on its lower side with legs 9 which rest upon the floor, as shown. For ornamental purposes this frame 8' is provided with a fringe 10 which extends all around it.

As shown most clearly in Fig. 3, when the chair body 1 is removed, the skeleton or chair frame remains supported on the leg frame 8. The construction of this skeleton will be best understood by a description of the construction of the frame when used as a bedstead. Referring therefore to Fig. 6, on the upper edge of the leg frame 8, oppositely disposed side stringers are supported. These stringers are formed in three sections, a foot section 11, a middle section 12 which is fixed, and a back section 13. The side bars of the section 13 are connected to the side bars of the section 12 by hinges 1 1 which are attached at points slightly removed within the edge of the frame 8. Similar hinges 15 are employed for attaching the side bars of the foot section 11 to the side bars of the section 12, but these hinges are disposed substantially over the edge of the frame at this point. The foot section 11 comprises a cross bar or foot bar 16, and a similar cross bar or head bar 17 constitutes a part of the back frame. To these bars 16 and 17, coil springs 18 are attached, and these coil springs support a bed spring 19 which is formed of longitudinal and transverse links disposed in short sections 20, connected by rings 21, as shown. The springs 18 are attached to these rings also. The upper edges of the transverse members of the frame 8 are formed with slots 23, as indicated in Fig. 7 which receive the vertical webs 24': of the side bars of the foot sections 11 and 13 when the bedstead is extended, as shown. Near the outer end of the foot section 11, leg braces 25 are provided, which are pivotally attached to the side bars of the frame. Near their lower extremities inclined slots 26 are formed in these legs for a purpose which will appear more fully hereinafter. The outer extremity of the head section 13 is similarly provided with pivoted legs 27, but these legs are not provided with slots. When the sections 11 and 13 are extended as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, they form a bedstead frame which will support a mattress on the bed spring 19.

In forming the chair frame from the bedstead frame, the foot section 11 is folded back so it lies upon the main section 12. The spring, which of course becomes loose by this operation, is collected in the rear poriton of the frame 8, as indicated in Fig. 3. The back section 13 is then folded upwardly and the braces 25 are attached in slots 28 which are formed in the side bars of this frame at opposite points, as indicated in Fig. 7. The slots 26 of these braces engage the inner or lower edges of the slots 28 so that the braces will operate to hold the back frame in substantially the position shown in Fig. 3. The chair frame is then adapted to receive the chair body 1.

Referringagain to the construction of the chair body, at its upper portion the frame 6 projects rearwardly so that the cushion of the chair extends over the upper end of the back section, and at this point I provide cleats 29, as indicated in Fig. 8. These cleats engage the rear edges of the back section when the chair body is lowered down on to the same, as will be readily understood. In this way the chair body will be held on the chair frame, it being understood that the seat frame 5 is supported on the frame 8 as previously described. The rearward projection of the back cushion 2 forms a padded roll 30, and the cover of the chair completely covers this roll and is extended downwardly beyond the same so as to form an apron 31. This apron conceals the vertical portion of the spring which hangs in the back of the chair, and it also conceals the framework at this point. The lower extremity of this apron 31 is attached to the rear cross bar of the frame 8, as indicated in Fig. 4. The fastening devices for this purpose may comprise buttons 32 attached to the frame, and sockets 33 attached to the lower edges of the apron, which receive the buttons in a well understood manner.

The arms at of the chair have rigid cores 3st of wood or similar material, which give the chair body rigidity, the arms being attached to the frame 6 in any suitable manner.

When the chair body is seated 011 the leg frame, the sides of the chair body fold over and around the foot section so that the foot section operates to hold the chair in position, as indicated most clearly in Figs. 2 and 8.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Let ters Patent,-

1. An article of furniture having a leg frame, folding frames attached to said leg frame on opposite sides thereof, means for supporting said folding frames in a substantially horizontal position so as to form a bedstead, means for supporting one of said frames in a substantially erect position so as to form a chair back, the other of said frames being normally folded over said leg frame, a chair body seated upon said leg frame and upon said substantially erect folding frame, and a spring attached at its ends only to said folding frames and received in said leg frame, said leg frame having a bottom supporting the slack of said spring.

2. An article of furniture comprising a leg frame, a back section hinged to said leg frame, a foot section hinged to said leg frame opposite to said back section, braces pivotally attached to said foot section, adapted to engage said back section to support the same in a substantially erect position when said foot section is folded upon said frame, means for supporting said back section in a substantially horizontal position to form a bedstead, said braces constituting legs for supporting said foot section in a substantially horizontal position.

3. An article of furniture having a leg section, a back section attached to said leg section, means for supporting said back section in a substantially horizontal position, a foot section also attached to said leg section, means for supporting said foot section in a substantially horizontal position, said foot section, said leg section and said back section cooperating to form a bedstead, the said foot section being adapted to fold over said leg section, means for supporting said back section in a substantially erect position, a chair body having a rigid frame seating on said leg section and engaging said back section, said chair body having an apron at the back thereof extending downwardly from the upper portion of said back section, and means for securing the lower portion of said apron to said leg section.

4. An article of furniture having a leg frame, a back section hinged to said leg frame on one side thereof, a foot extension hinged to said leg frame on the opposite side thereof and normally lying folded on the upper side of said leg section, means for holding said back section in a substantially erect position, means for supporting said back section in a substantially horizontal position so as to form a bedstead, and a chair body having a rigid seat having a frame receiving said foot extension and held in position thereby and having a rigid back receiving said back section.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN CALIX SMITH.

W'itnesses:

HIRAM AUsTIN STEARNs, HENRY B. STEARNS: 

